• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Dirk Forrister

International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)

President & Chief Executive Officer

Dirk Forrister is President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), a non-profit business association dedicated to market-based climate policies. With over 300 member companies, IETA is known globally as a thought leader on harnessing the power of markets to deliver climate protection. Dirk spent a decade as Managing Director at Natsource LLC, the manager of carbon funds valued at $1.2 billion. Previously, he served as Chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force in the Clinton Administration and was Assistant U.S. Secretary of Energy for Congressional and Public Affairs.

Sessions With Dirk Forrister

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 05:00pm - 05:30pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 10:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 10:30 pm

    Beyond Silos: The rationale for merging compliance and VCM markets
    Climate & Sustainability

    We continue to see a tale of two carbon markets―compliance markets continue to expand while the voluntary markets are mired in transparency and integrity issues. Failure to progress on Paris Agreement Article 6, international carbon market negotiations, at COP28 has pushed the need to bolster market clarity back to stakeholder initiatives and governments. While voluntary markets remain uncertain, compliance carbon markets continue to expand, with large emitting and fast-growing countries laying groundwork for their implementation. What will be the resulting levels of ambition and how much will these markets interact? Will these markets increasingly incorporate project-based reduction efforts ―the hallmark of the VCM―into their designs? What are the synergies, challenges and opportunities ahead for integrating compliance market dynamics with voluntary market dynamics and fostering a more cohesive and effective approach to carbon mitigation?